mTransport

QR cards have a QR code that is personalized to each student who takes the bus. Students scan the card on an iPad as they enter and exit the school bus.

Here’s a sample of what a QR card looks like:

You will notice that student names have been abbreviated on the card to maintain privacy, yet enable parents to know which card belongs to which child. The cards are designed to remove any personal information by simply cutting off the bottom.

Yes. The tablets are securely mounted on the dashboard at the front of the bus.

The tablets are equipped with GPS which stands for Global Positioning System. Drivers use GPS for route directions and route stops from home to school and school to home. When the driver arrives at a bus stop, the children’s names who can board or exit the bus at that particular stop are listed on the tablet.

No. Tablets have been on buses for many years. What’s new are the QR cards that students are being asked to scan when they get on and off the bus.

No. Drivers have been taking attendance on buses all along. It’s more efficient, however, to have students scan the QR cards. It’s also more accurate as it removes the possibility of human error.

Attendance is taken for the general safety and security of students. It ensures students get on the right bus at the end of the school day and get off at the right stop near their home or sitter. It also tells drivers who should be on their bus. This is very important in our current work environment where, in many cases, we do not have regular drivers on routes and they do not know all of the students. It is one more safeguard for drivers, parents/guardians, schools and school boards.

We also need to know who is on the bus at any given time along a given route for emergency purposes. In the event of a collision, we will know exactly who is on the bus in order to notify parents, schools and school boards. In an emergency, it’s critical that each and every student be accounted for. It is just as important to know who is not on the bus, perhaps because they got off the bus two stops before the collision occurred.

Students who forget their QR cards will be able to board the bus like they always have. They will only need to input their attendance by tapping their name on the tablet.

No. Use of QR cards is voluntary, not mandatory.

Many parents of older students are taking a picture of the card with their child’s cell phone. When boarding the bus, students scan their phone. This way, they do not have to carry the card in their school bag.  Another option for parents who do not want their children carrying a QR card or for children who misplace their card, is to tap their name on the tablet itself.

Yes. You can log in to the secure Parent Portal on the Consortium’s website to print out a replacement card. Visit businfo.ca.

The QR cards and the software that compiles the data when students scan the cards were developed by a Canadian company called mTransport. mTransport has also developed a mobile application or app that parents/guardians can upload to their phones to receive notifications about their child’s transportation.

mTransport is a logistics solution for managing the movement of students and vehicles. mTransport enhances student security by improving communications between everyone involved in school transportation.

Yes.  mPhase / mTransport attaches great importance to the security of the data entrusted to it, and to all aspects of its use. A strict agreement is in place between the Sudbury Student Services Consortium and their software provider regarding sensitive transportation data. The data remains at all times the property of the Consortium and can only be used for the mTransport service. The data transmission, storage and processing stages are subject to encryption, security, access control and confidentiality requirements. The data is purged and destroyed at the end of its useful life for the Consortium and its member school boards, i.e. each summer, and absolutely no copy is kept. mPhase and the Consortium agree that only the minimum information necessary to deliver the service is provided, and that a precautionary principle applies at all times.

In addition, the following measures are in place to ensure data security:

– Drivers must identify themselves on the tablets to access the system. Drivers only have access to information that is useful for making their journeys. No information is stored on drivers’ devices and it is erased at the end of each trip.

– The tablets are secured and controlled by an MDM (Mobile Device Management) system, which limits their functions and allows them to be erased remotely.

– mPhase employees and all school bus drivers have all signed a confidentiality agreement, are aware of the issues of protection of personal information and the sensitivity of transport data which may concern children.

Yes. The Sudbury Student Services recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. The Sudbury Student Services Consortium is committed to protecting personal information of clients and other external parties in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). We invite you to read the Consortium’s Privacy Policy. This policy outlines standards for the collection, use, and disclosure of client personal information by the company.

When the QR Cards are scanned, the software records the time the student boards the bus and the time the student exits the bus. The QR cards are used to take attendance on the bus the student travels to and from school.

No. The QR cards are for transportation purposes only. They have nothing to do with attendance at school.

You can download the app on Android and Apple devices through the app store.

The mobile app allows you to receive notifications regarding your child’s transportation. The app will alert you if your child misses the bus. You will also receive a notice when the bus is approaching the drop off point near your home. You can also read mTransport’s privacy policy on the app.

The QR cards are being implemented, first and foremost, to enhance student safety. The cards will enable parents/guardians, schools and the Consortium to confirm when a child is on the bus. The system also alerts the driver if a student tries to get off the bus at an unassigned stop. The cards, therefore, will ensure that children are picked up and dropped off at the right location. The cards will also enable the Consortium to streamline the delivery of transportation services.

All students who take the bus received their QR cards by mid-June 2023. QR cards are being distributed by schools. QR cards will be fully in use by September 2023.

No. The purpose of the QR card is to confirm who is on the bus and when, and ensure that students are getting on and off the bus at the right location.

If you were to scan the card, you would see a 6-digit number that does not correspond to anyone or anything. The cards cannot be used for any other purpose than scanning the tablets on the buses to confirm for the driver that your child has boarded the bus at the right stop and is getting off the bus at the right school. The cards only work on school buses contracted by the Sudbury Student Services Consortium. When the child is not on the bus, the card does not work and, therefore, serves no purpose in any way.